Roasted Duck With Licorice Merlot Sauce

Food & Wine. Uses black jelly beans!

• Ready In: 1 hr 20 mins
• Serves: 8

Ingredients

• 3  tablespoons honey
• 12  kumquats, halved lengthwise and seeded
• 1 1⁄2 cups dry red wine, such as Merlot
• 1⁄4 cup  chicken stock or 1⁄4 cup low sodium chicken broth
• 8  small  black jelly beans
• 2  lbs celery root (quartered, peeled and cut into 2-inch chunks)
• 1  large idaho potato, peeled and cut into 2-inch chunks
•  salt
• 5  tablespoons  cold unsalted butter
• 1  tablespoon  imported hazelnut oil
•  fresh ground pepper
• 6  large  muscovy duck breasts, with skin (about 1/2 pound each)

Directions

1. .In a medium saucepan, simmer the honey over moderate heat for 1 minute. Add the kumquats and cook until softened, about 3 minutes.
2. Strain the honey into a medium saucepan; reserve the kumquats separately.
3. Add the wine and chicken stock to the honey and cook over moderate heat until reduced to 1/2 cup, about 15 minutes.
4. Add the jelly beans, remove the saucepan from the heat and let stand until the sauce has a nice licorice flavor, about 5 minutes. Discard the jelly beans.
5. Preheat the oven to 350°. In a large saucepan, cover the celery root and potato chunks with water and add 1 teaspoon of salt.
6. Boil over moderately high heat until tender, about 30 minutes. Drain the vegetables; return them to the saucepan and shake over high heat to dry out.
7. Transfer the celery root and potato to a food processor and puree until smooth. Wipe out the saucepan and return the puree to it. Stir in 3 tablespoons of the butter and the hazelnut oil.
8. Season with salt and pepper, cover and keep warm.
9. Heat a large skillet. Using a sharp knife, score the duck breast skin in a cross-hatch pattern.
10. Season the breasts with salt and pepper and add 3 to the skillet, skin side down. Cook over moderate heat until the skin is deep brown and crisp, about 5 minutes; spoon off the fat once or twice.
11. Turn the breasts and cook until browned on the bottom, about 2 minutes. Transfer the breasts to a baking sheet, skin side down, pour off the fat from the skillet and repeat with the remaining breasts.
12. Bake the duck in the oven for about 6 minutes, or until medium rare. Transfer to a carving board, skin side up, cover loosely with foil and let rest for 5 minutes.
13. Bring the licorice sauce just to a boil. Remove from the heat and whisk in the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter; season with salt and pepper.
14. Thinly slice the duck breasts crosswise and arrange the slices on 8 large plates.
15. Spoon the licorice sauce over the duck and top with the honeyed kumquats. Spoon the celery root puree alongside the duck and serve.